I recently wiped Windows 8.1 from my laptop, which runs on an Intel 4th generation HQ series with an Nvidia GTX 850M and 16GB of RAM. I'm currently using PopOS on this laptop and on my main gaming PC with a 9700KF and RTX 2070, also with 16GB of RAM. I chose Pop due to gaming and Nvidia support, but my experience with it hasn't been great. I'm wondering if there are better Linux distributions to try or if changing the desktop environment from Gnome is a good idea? What would be a good KDE distro for someone starting out? Also, how can I make my configuration changes portable so I can use them across different machines? Any tips would be appreciated! Thanks for any feedback!
6 Answers
Does the specific distro really matter all that much? Most of the time you're just going to see your game or browser in fullscreen regardless of the desktop environment.
You might find some useful resources on distro selection by checking out relevant wikis or articles. Don’t forget to back up your files regularly, try things out in a virtual machine first, and make sure you understand your commands before hitting Enter! 😄
Regarding your Nvidia situation, I'm curious why you feel forced to use PopOS. There are many other great distros out there that come with the Nvidia drivers pre-installed. For instance, I’ve had good experiences with Bazzite KDE, but there are definitely more options available!
Why exactly did you feel that you had to stick with PopOS for Nvidia support? There are lots of choices out there that handle Nvidia drivers well, such as Ubuntu or even Kubuntu if you aim for KDE. Also, about that 'rice hopping' you mentioned, can you clarify what you mean?
As a beginner, you can switch your desktop environment without having to change your whole distribution. KDE can actually work just fine on PopOS if you want to try it out!
I wouldn't recommend that approach for new users. Mixing multiple desktop environments can lead to issues. It might be better to pick a distro that already has KDE fully integrated.
That's a solid suggestion! Maybe start with KDE on my laptop to see how it goes.
I think PopOS is just well-marketed for gamers, and it does offer solid Nvidia support. That could be why it's recommended so often.